Just a note to you guys "down under" that the Canterbury J is alive and building California.

We just finished our 2nd ever National Championship, jointly sponsored by the Sacramento and Elk Grove (a suburb of Sacramento) Model Yacht Clubs. This was the first ever national championship to be held on the west coast of the US, with the prior NCR held on the eastern edge of the continent in Connecticut, about 2,900 miles (4,650 Km) away. There were 7 boats competing and there are about another 7 other boats in various stages of construction or had skippers who could not commit to two and one-half days of racing.

Our National Champion for 2014 is Kevin Gault from Pomona, at the southern end of the state, over 400 miles (640 Km) from the venue in West Sacramento.

We tend to build our boats to be a bit more scale like than the photos I have seen of the NZ boats, but even with planked decks, we still need larger batteries to bring them up to minimum weight. I have attached a few photos so you can see what I mean.

One day soon, I hope to travel to NZ and will try to time the trip so I can see some of your boats in action.

Sorry John, about a late reply. Many issues to deal with these last two months.

No matter which system you end up using, the forward pulley needs to be mounted as close as possible to the bow, to ensure that you have adequate sheet travel.

But I would never dream of installing a system, where I could not access critical items like the pulley, servo's, leads, etc, once the deck was on, because as sure as there is life on this planet, that thing you thought would never break, will do, exactly that.

1. If you want to keep all the workings below deck, you might rig up a system where you could mount an aluminium or arrow shaft, one end near the winch, the other end with the pulley attached going forward to the bow, but mounted so that it does not flex. But this all should be mounted in such a way that it can all be removed quite easily to replace, broken cords, pulleys, etc. I personally have not used this system, but am contemplating doing this with one of my J's.

2. With the other I will mount the forward return pulley as far as I possibly can on the very front of the bow, and run the leads through fairleads to below the deck. I prefer to use RMG winches, but this system would work equally well with a Hitec drum. The RMG winch with the spring loaded drums is fantastic because not tensioning cord is required, But then again, the RMG winches are heavier than the Hitec. I like this system because it is easy to adjust sheets connections, because the loop is mostly above deck. I like this system because it is easy to set up and use, and I quite like the continuous loop and sheets all above deck, aesthetically as well.

3. Another option is the mount the winch directly to the underside of the deck, with the pulley on top. But this means the weight of the winch is not as low down in the boat, as in 1. and 2. and maybe not the nest for a Canterbury/Aussie/Nottingham J because of the low depth of the keel.

I have an Nautic12 and an A2, (Australia II) designs, and have used methods 2. and 3. with great success. I can post some pics, if interested.

Hi,
Finally installed deck beams and king plank, made servo tray battery box (not yet installed ).
Question
The return pulley for the sail winch (Hi-tech), what is the distance from the bow to mount the pulley , my concern is that if it is mounted as per Hans Berger's diagrams there is no way to reconnect the sail line (if it breaks) as it is tucked into the bow.

Hi John B,
I will not be using the protruding screw threads for any structural work, so will be cutting them down to a length where I can use a 10mm socket and an extension shaft handle to tighten up the nuts.

Hi,
I have just received my hull from NZ and have my first ,of many. I have tried to trail fit the keel and I am unable to tighten the nuts due to the space, if any what tool do you use ?
I am from Adelaide do you know of any other Canterbury J;s in Adelaide.
Regards

This boat, (the Canterbury J), has never been established in Australia, as a class, and it was only a few individuals' that imported it, me, being one of them.

Since I developed an interest in this boat, and before I purchased a hull and deck from New Zealand, I did quite a bit of research. The Canterbury J is gaining popularity in the USA, and also in the UK where there is also a version called the Nottingham J that has the approval of the New Zealand home of the Canterbury J. The manufacturer of the Nottingham J recently advised me that someone in Aus had purchased one of his boats, but would not provide details. So, I know there is an interest in this boat.

I have been delayed in completing the build of my own beautiful boat, due to moving from the country back to the metropolis of Melbourne.

I have started to build my boat, but for the above reasons, the completion of that build has been delayed.

To me, it is still the perfect boat, because of its classic lines, and its scale resemblance to the original Ranger, upon which it is based, and because of its light weight.

I'm not a fan of the RG65 simply because of a personal preference. I prefer a bigger boat, that can sail in heavier weather, although I take nothing away from the RG65 Class. They are about the size of the Victoria, I believe, which was also a very popular boat some years ago. And I suspect that in due course, that class will also become a class like the One Metre, that was supposed to provide a cheap boat due to its one design. However, anyone that has ever tried to purchase a current IOM will know hoe expensive they have become. This same affliction has now also affected the Micro Magik class.

The Canterbury J, on the other hand, still being a one design class, seems to have rules that will enable these boats to continually built to reasonable cost.

And I hate to say it, but when the New Zealanders' decide to do something, they do it right...

But definitely stay tuned to this page, as I intend to publish photo's of my build once I have workshop facilities established...

Well, as it is now 2014 February, and no more news about the CJ I can only presume interest in the class has faded!
The class now emerging is RG65 with strong support from the dragon force 65 ($205 delivered ATRTR)
This class still has a long way to go but is popular in UK!
Is there any one sailing one of these willing to add info ?

Well Mav , I don't know why I want to put R50 Nautic trainer in this forum page ?? Perhaps we should (with your Permission)put it in a R50 Page? I spoke to "Viking" about R50s and he thinks he has a fiberglasser who is interested in "doing" them. I will be talking more about R50s in the 12 Metre Newsletter.

Well as I was saying < we are going to start using our R50 Trainers again. These boats that are shorter than the 12 metres and much lighter(5/6 kgs) that the other boats and are starting to prove there real worth again . I have had mine about 6 years now and Hairoil has had his about the same length of time. These boats have been through "thick and thin" and are still in good nick. Three or four went to THE SQUADRON in Sydney. Four went to Canberra and we had four in our club Ancient Mariners. The boat is 50" long.

Now we have the chance to buy the moulds and stuff along with 2 hulls that go with the moulds. While we have got hold of the moulds we CAN go forward . This particular boat came with Ali Masts and booms but I think it could come with carbon mast and booms in the future to cut down the mast top weights. We all know how to use carbon tubing these days? And the cost should not be too great if bought locally.

I'm starting to think I'm more exhausted than any thing else. Still I'm feeling a little better and we will be back at the "wheel" soon. Hairoil feeling better, he's having a "play " with a MM at the moment and reckons he has it about 1/4 done.

Well Maverick , I think we have just about put paid to the CJ. There is some problems there and I was reminded that we already have a boat very much like this boat in this ccountry called a stand off scale Soling (50" long) that has the weed free keel also and some better sailing qualities than the CJ.That the moulds are available, that the boat is already sailing in a few clubs in and around NSW and the National Capital. I must have had a senior moment to have forgotten about it?

There have been some suggestions about using the Soling OM from victor. But I don't know there is a bad taste in my mouth from some months ago!

Yeah Right , we have been getting some suggestions of late. All I talk to can see the probs but the answers are still in the brain box department . So , collectively we can come up with an answer, here.

We don't want too much, only a light/ smaller boat that can be a lead in for the 12 metre classes and so the older sailors can use, as they get on in years. I can tell you it is painfull not seeing some of my old sailing mates at the lake because the can't go with the boats. You would think that there are unlimited choices here but you would be wrong for most of these types of boat have got problems associated with actually getting them in this country. While most of these little boats have bulb keels and are no good in a weeded pond or lake or that they are just too small. Out of all the boats we have found , there are only one or two that actually meet our critiera. One of those hasn't got a Weed free keel so that leaves one. Now before we get any further with it , we need to be sure it is going to work for everybody.

So far the clubs that have shown interest have been interested in the "Weed free" aspects of it, possible more than anything. So we are working on it.

Right now Maverick , we are in a state of flux. The "costs " have blown out in all sorts of proportions. I might add it is not our friends in NZ fault either. But more to do with the comglomerates extracting their "pound of flesh". There is answer, however. We are going through it and I'm sure we will have it fixed in a couple of days. This sounds all "iffy & butty" but I can't say much, just yet, until it is sorted. but we are getting there. The number of people who have expressed an interest in it, is pleasing, from both classes of 12s, nautics and ecs. And another thing .... it is pleasing of alot of people all working together for an answer here.

I've had a quick look at the specifications of this boat, and quite like what I see. This boat is not such a "little" boat, coming in about 22cm longer than an IOM but only about 1 or 2 Kg heavier. This sounds pretty good as this would make the boat about 5 Kg lighter than an N12/A2/EC12. That has got to be a winner.

One thing I am not sure of is how deep the draft is. Preliminary observations indicate that the draught would be more than the three 12's. Is this the way you see it?

I like the idea of a mast mounting tube going down to the bilge. Having experienced situations where sidestays have come loose causing the mast to fall down, thereby leaving the recovery of the boat entirely up the the direction of the wind or rescue craft. I don't like being exposed to that sort of situation, therefore the bilge tube would be seen as insurance. Me think it great idea, me do.

The size of the boat Mav was our first consideration. It will sit on the back seat of any sedan, being 48 long. Even the smallest sedan has a four foot bench seat at the back. One oither little insignificant point as well is that it hasn't any "sticky out" rudders to catch in your seats. And with the mast , it will fi in the car most easily.

We had a big discussion about this boat at the Lake yesterday and while the troops are keen we still have to talk about "ALL THE ANGLES" to this boat. One of the really good ideas was that we make this little boat a "Build it yourself" class. Now this has some merit to it. Of course it is not a 'hard build' by any stretch of the imagination. We talked about putting a tube that will go down to the bilge so that if we loose a stay the mast won't fall down and stuff like that. If we make the class easy , in the sense that there are some pluses in building them from a hull and lead. There is cetain Camaraderie of the members who build it. For they get to gether to learn how to do it and again that is not a bad thing in this day and the age of NOW.

Henry wrote:Sure we can all order our boats individually but the first question a new chum asks at the pond is "where do you get it"? The info must be forthcoming.

We know the interest is there , I have had inquiries both from the club and others. for there is a NEED for a smaller / lighter boat than the 12s (both Nautic and EC12s)that are both the same weight Approx.

The centre photo is the boat in racing mode, looks good doesn't it? The whole point is the boat looks traditional and it should be interesting because all these Old Salts were brought up on this style of boat.

Good points Henry.

I'll have to do some investigating on the Canterbury J site, to see what measurements are. If this boat is able to be put fully rigged into a reasonably standard size car then that will definitely be something going for it.

And yes, it is a beautiful looking boat. You won't get any arguments from me there. And I might hazard a guess and say that the classic lines might appeal to more than just the old timers.

Yes , there is something in that Maverick. The thing we saw with Nautics was that only two people bought them fully made in our club. This canterbury J or CJ for short does come fully made if one require it this way. What we are doing in the interim or at the present time is checking out how we can get these boats , landed in Australia.

Sure we can all order our boats individually but the first question a new chum asks at the pond is "where do you get it"? The info must be forthcoming.

The info is there but we've got to work out the best way of getting them here. We are working on getting 3or 4 hulls from NZ and making the leads from a pattern here. But again Maverick this takes time to sort out.

We know the interest is there , I have had inquiries both from the club and others. for there is a NEED for a smaller / lighter boat than the 12s (both Nautic and EC12s)that are both the same weight Approx.

If you look at the far left photo and the far right photo you will see the hull without lead and the lead, with the bolts in it on the right. The bolts just go through the hull at the bottom . You will see there is a plate attached to the top of the lead , this is the internal keel plate for inside the hull.

BY THE WAY Both PHOTOS were supplied by Bob Steverson ACT, thanks Bob.

The centre photo is the boat in racing mode, looks good doesn't it? The whole point is the boat looks traditional and it should be interesting because all these Old Salts were brought up on this style of boat.

What might make things more informative is to provide some pricing at the appropriate time.

One thing I might make a comment on, is that the trend these days appears to be that boats, planes, cars are provided in RTR (Ready To Run), or ARR (Almost Ready to Run), formats, so if there is an option to bring in this boat fully constructed with the users maybe only needing to decide on electrics, that is I think the way to go.

Buidling seems to be a lost art now and not for the young. They will, I believe, want someting ready to sail with minimum effort. And if it could be done RTR with only a battery charge required to get the boat in the water after opening the package, then that would be the ultimate, and quite frankly, the option with most chance of success.

I think there is enough people interested in it. But what we are doing at this moment is collecting fact about this & that. We want it already to go when we actually do it. We think every body will be interested in getting one, if All the info is presented in one hit and not spread all over the place. So people don't have to search for the answers.

The boat is designed for a Hi-tech winch, for the sail area is not that great. I think people will go for it because it is a TRADITIONAL looking boat. Lots of folk are interested in these for various reasons.

I can tell you Mav that I have had a few enquiries about this little boat, including one about getting a yacht complete, He wanted to give me the dough there and then!! I figure we might be able to get several in at a time and this will keep the costs down. Anyway we will look into every angle before we start. Because when we do I know it is going to go really well.

How about putting some of those pictures up about the Canterbury J , Mav?

I thought before we get into this , Proper, we should, I guess get a web page in to let all our mates to have a look. //canterbury-j-class.org.nz/home.html

You know Mav there is a lot of people reading this forum who never make a peep about anything . Now that is their loss but they can have a go on this forum anytime they like just by joining. Some people may think it is too intimidating , just getting on here. Its not really but being able to talk does help to some extent. Otherwise how do Novices get to learn about anything? Here is a little class of yacht that could serve us well in this "12 metre country". As the Kiwis say for weeded ponds.

And if they provide a challenge then that is good too, as there are after all, quite a few EC12 sailors around the world who would not swap or part with their boats for anything.

Weight looks good. Even one Kg can make a difference. Never mind the 4 1/2 or so you are talking about. And not only for the older members, this would be more manageable for any young folks who would like to get into this sport.

Hey, and the "J" Class were America's Cup boats also, so they fit in perfectly with the objectives stated on the very front page of the web-site.

Well, Hey! I thought we were into getting something in line with 12s that would be a little lighter than the exsiting boats/yachts for the older skippers. The criteria can't fit perfectly with everything all at once. We have older people who are interested and if they have a 11.5 Kg boat, we can all help them get it in and out of the water but who is at hand when they arrive home they still have to lift/ carry it then? So can you see the probs?

The dimensions of this CJ is important too. For the length means that the yacht will fit in the back seat of every car. This means that you don't need any special means to transport them around. And at 6 to 7 kgs the weight is right as well . Wait till you hear the price, for it is a lot better than what they were asking for the other boat by far! The basic kit can be landed in this country for about aud$230. This is a build it yourself with the hull and lead keel made. Thats suits a lot of cash strapped sailors out, for it is an "Easy Build". HOWEVER , for those a little richer , you can get this yacht to made to any stage and up to fully completed / ready to race for Aud $1050. Still cheap as chips in fact more so than any other R/C boat.

HOWEVER......... There is a little class .... smaller that the existing 12 metre classes that do have a boat that they do want to make and sell called a CANTERBURY J. J's are the class of yachts that battled for the America's Cup before the 12s got involved. So one could say this class is a kindred class to 12s. Only someone perdantic would discriminate here. Be that as it may , these boats are made in New Zealand and the people involved are keen to produce!

These CJ's as I call them are shorter, 48" long and are only 6 to 7 kgs in weight and I think this CJ would make an IDEAL yacht to replace the yacht we just can't get.